One man's weed is another man's wonder and University of Guam research scientist Dr. Gadi V. P. Reddy has spent much of his career finding environmentally safe methods to control invasive plants. A chemical ecologist and entomologist, Dr. Reddy is the coeditor and coauthor of the book Biological Control of Tropical Weeds using Arthropods, which is to be published by the Cambridge University Press and available to the public in March 2009.
Dr. Reddy coauthored four chapters of the book, two of which discuss his work at the Western Pacific Tropical Research Center (WPTRC) with the invasive weeds Chromolaena odorata (Siam weed) and Coccinia grandis (ivy gourd vine). His research has been an immense help to farmers on the island of Guam and the Micronesian region. Dr. Reddy says, "This is the first book on the topic particularly dealing with biological control and sustainability of tropical weeds."
The book discusses the use of insects for the control of twenty invasive weeds, which is often more cost-effective than using chemical means and safer for the environment. Providing ecologically sound management practices for controlling invasive plants in the tropics is one of the main purposes of this book, as well as serving as a tool in the assessment of dangers for native plants. Policy makers and scientists working with the environmental impacts of invasive plant species will find Biological Control of Tropical Weeds using Arthropods a very useful resource.
RELATED LINKS:
Gadi Reddy: http://www.wptrc.org/research_dtl.asp?rschrID=22
Biological Control of Tropical Weeds: http://www.cup.es/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521877916
Western Pacific Tropical Research Center: http://www.wptrc.org/
University of Guam: www.uog.edu